Display device and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A display device in which damage and carbonization of a display substrate is substantially minimized and a method of manufacturing the display device are provided. A display device includes: a substrate including a first area having a first thickness and a second area having a second thickness which is different from the first thickness; a display layer at the first area of the substrate; and a functional member on the display layer at the first area. The first area and the second area are arranged along a first direction, the substrate includes a protruding portion at the second area, and the protruding portion includes a side portion having an inclination of about 5 degrees or more with respect to the first direction toward a second direction which intersects the first direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/195,639, filed on Nov. 19, 2018, which claims priority to and thebenefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0156924, filed on Nov.23, 2017 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entiredisclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference herein.

1. FIELD

Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a displaydevice and a method of manufacturing the display device.

2. DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Display devices include a plurality of pixels provided in an areadefined by a black matrix or a pixel defining layer. Examples of thedisplay device may include liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, lightemitting element display devices, electrophoretic display devices, andthe like.

It is to be understood that this background of the technology section isintended to provide useful background for understanding the technologyand as such disclosed herein, the technology background section mayinclude ideas, concepts, or recognitions that were not part of what wasknown or appreciated by those skilled in the pertinent art prior to acorresponding effective filing date of subject matter disclosed herein.

SUMMARY

According to aspects of embodiments of the present invention, a displaydevice capable of substantially minimizing damage and carbonization of adisplay substrate and a method of manufacturing the display device areprovided.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a display deviceincludes: a substrate including a first area having a first thicknessand a second area having a second thickness which is different from thefirst thickness; a display layer at the first area of the substrate; anda functional member on the display layer at the first area. The firstarea and the second area are arranged along a first direction, thesubstrate includes a protruding portion at the second area, and theprotruding portion includes a side portion having an inclination ofabout 5 degrees or more with respect to the first direction toward asecond direction which intersects the first direction.

The substrate may have a groove at the second area.

The substrate may include an upper surface on which the display layer islocated and a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and the groovemay be located at the upper surface.

The substrate may include a base layer and a protective layer, and thebase layer may be located closer to the display layer than theprotective layer is to the display layer.

The functional member may include at least one of a polarizer and atouch screen panel.

The polarizer may include a protective layer and a polarization layer,and the polarization layer may be positioned between the protectivelayer and the substrate at the first area.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a display deviceincludes: a substrate including a first area having a first thickness, asecond area having a second thickness which is different from the firstthickness, and a third area having a third thickness which is differentfrom the first and second thicknesses; a display layer at the first areaof the substrate; and a functional member on the display layer at thefirst area. The first, second, and third areas are arranged along afirst direction, the substrate includes a protruding portion at thesecond area, and the protruding portion includes at least one sideportion having an inclination of about 5 degrees or more with respect tothe first direction toward a second direction which intersects the firstdirection.

The substrate may have a groove at the second area.

The substrate may include an upper surface on which the display layer islocated and a lower surface opposite the upper surface, and the groovemay be located at the upper surface.

The substrate may include a base layer and a protective layer, and thebase layer may be located closer to the display layer than theprotective layer is to the display layer.

The functional member may include at least one of a polarizer and atouch screen panel.

The polarizer may include a protective layer and a polarization layer,and the polarization layer may be positioned between the protectivelayer and the substrate at the first area.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, a method ofmanufacturing a display device includes: preparing a mother substrateincluding a first area and a second area which are sequentially locatedalong a first direction; forming a display layer at the first area ofthe mother substrate; forming a functional member at the first area soas to overlap with the display layer; irradiating a first laser beam inthe first direction along a first cutting line of the first area;irradiating a second laser beam in a second direction which is from thesecond area toward the first area along a second cutting line of thefirst area; and irradiating a third laser beam in the first direction atthe first area and the second area along a third cutting line of thefirst area and the second area. The first laser beam has an intensitygreater than an intensity of the second laser beam and an intensity ofthe third laser beam, the intensity of the second laser beam is greaterthan the intensity of the third laser beam, and the second cutting lineoverlaps with at least a part of the first cutting line and at least apart of the third cutting line at the first area.

The display device may have a first thickness at the first area and asecond thickness which is larger than the first thickness at the secondarea.

The first cutting line may overlap with at least a part of the thirdcutting line at the first area.

The mother substrate may further include a third area. The method mayfurther include, after irradiating the third laser beam in the firstdirection at the first area, the second area, and the third area alongthe third cutting line of the first area, the second area, and the thirdarea: irradiating a fourth laser beam in the second direction at thethird area along a fourth cutting line of the third area; andirradiating a fifth laser beam in the first direction at the third areaalong a fifth cutting line of the third area. The fourth laser beam mayhave an intensity greater than an intensity of the third laser beam andless than an intensity of the fifth laser beam, the fifth laser beam mayhave an intensity greater than the intensities of the second laser beamand the fourth laser beam, and the fourth cutting line may overlap withat least a part of the third cutting line and at least a part of thefifth cutting line.

The display device may have a first thickness at the first area, asecond thickness which is larger than the first thickness at the secondarea, and a third thickness which is less than the first thickness andlarger than the second thickness at the third area.

At least a part of the first cutting line may overlap with at least apart of the second cutting line and at least a part of the third cuttingline at the first area.

At least a part of the third cutting line may overlap with the firstcutting line at the first area, and another part of the third cuttingline may overlap with the fifth cutting line at the third area.

The mother substrate may have a groove at the second area.

The foregoing is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any waylimiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, exemplaryembodiments, and features described above, further aspects, exemplaryembodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to thedrawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the present invention will become moreapparent by describing in further detail some exemplary embodimentsthereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a display device according toan exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I′ of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the display device according to anexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a pixel included in a display layerof the display device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state in which the display device ofFIG. 1 is bent;

FIGS. 7 to 18 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing adisplay device, according to an exemplary embodiment; and

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating effects of the display device accordingto an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully herein withreference to the accompanying drawings. Although the invention may bemodified in various manners and have several exemplary embodiments, someexemplary embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings andwill be mainly described in the specification. However, the scope of theinvention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and should beconstrued as including all changes, equivalents, and substitutionsincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention.

In the drawings, thicknesses of a plurality of layers and areas may beillustrated in an enlarged manner for clarity and ease of descriptionthereof. When a layer, area, or plate is referred to as being “on”another layer, area, or plate, it may be directly on the other layer,area, or plate, or one or more intervening layers, areas, or plates maybe present therebetween. Conversely, when a layer, area, or plate isreferred to as being “directly on” another layer, area, or plate,intervening layers, areas, or plates may be absent therebetween.Further, when a layer, area, or plate is referred to as being “below”another layer, area, or plate, it may be directly below the other layer,area, or plate, or one or more intervening layers, areas, or plates maybe present therebetween. Conversely, when a layer, area, or plate isreferred to as being “directly below” another layer, area, or plate,intervening layers, areas, or plates may be absent therebetween.

The spatially relative terms “below,” “beneath,” “lower,” “above,”“upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description todescribe the relations between one element or component and anotherelement or component as illustrated in the drawings. It is to beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition tothe orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, in a case inwhich a device illustrated in the drawing is turned over, the devicepositioned “below” or “beneath” another device may be placed “above”another device. Accordingly, the illustrative term “below” may includeboth the lower and upper positions. The device may also be oriented inanother direction and, thus, the spatially relative terms may beinterpreted differently depending on the orientations.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as being“connected” to another element, the element may be “directly connected”to the other element, or “electrically connected” to the other elementwith one or more intervening elements interposed therebetween. It is tobe further understood that the terms “comprises,” “including,”“includes,” and/or “including,” when used in this specification, specifythe presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

It is to be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,”“third,” and the like may be used herein to describe various elements,these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms areused to distinguish one element from another element. Thus, a “first”element discussed below could be termed a “second” element or a “third”element, and a “second” element and a “third” element may be termedlikewise without departing from the teachings herein.

“About” or “approximately,” as used herein, are inclusive of the statedvalue and mean within an acceptable range of deviation for theparticular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art,considering the measurement in question and the error associated withmeasurement of the particular quantity (i.e. the limitations of themeasurement system). For example, “about” may mean within one or morestandard deviations, or within ±30%, 20%, 10%, or 5% of the statedvalue.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical andscientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by thoseskilled in the art to which this invention pertains. It is to be furtherunderstood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and arenot to be interpreted in an idealized or excessively formal sense unlessclearly defined in the present specification.

Some of the parts which are not associated with the exemplaryembodiments may not be described for purposes of clarity. Like referencenumerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Herein, a display device and a method of manufacturing the displaydevice according to an exemplary embodiment will be described in furtherdetail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a display device according toan exemplary embodiment; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken alongthe line I-I′ of FIG. 1; and FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating thedisplay device according to an exemplary embodiment.

A display device 1000 according to an exemplary embodiment may include asubstrate 100, a display layer 222, a polarizer 400, and a driver 188,as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The substrate 100 may include at least one layer disposed along adirection parallel to a Z-axis (herein, a Z-axis direction). Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the substrate 100 may include aprotective layer 111 a (herein, a first protective layer), an adhesivelayer 111 b (herein, a first adhesive layer), and a base layer 111stacked in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis is a direction whichintersects an X-axis and a Y-axis. In an embodiment, for example, theZ-axis intersects the X-axis and the Y-axis perpendicularly.

The first protective layer 111 a of the substrate 100 is positionedbelow the base layer 111 in the Z-axis direction. The first protectivelayer 111 a may have a groove 11, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Forexample, the first protective layer 111 a may include an upper surfacewhich is adjacent to the first adhesive layer 111 b and a lower surfacewhich faces the upper surface. The groove 11 is located at the uppersurface of the first protective layer 111 a. The groove 11 is located ata second area A2 of the substrate 100 to be described below.

In an embodiment, the first protective layer 111 a may includepolyethylene terephthalate (PET) or a material including PET.

The first adhesive layer 111 b is positioned between the firstprotective layer 111 a and the base layer 111. The first adhesive layer111 b attaches the base layer 111 and the first protective layer 111 ato each other.

In an embodiment, the first adhesive layer 111 b may include acryl or amaterial including acryl.

The base layer 111 is positioned on the first adhesive layer 111 b. Thebase layer 111 includes an upper surface and a lower surface which aredisposed in the Z-axis direction and face each other. The upper surfaceof the base layer 111 is adjacent to the display layer 222, and thelower surface of the base layer 111 is adjacent to the first adhesivelayer 111 b.

The base layer 111 may be a transparent insulating layer including aglass or a transparent plastic. In an embodiment, for example, the baselayer 111 may include any selected from the group consisting of: kapton,polyether sulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),polyacrylate (PAR), fiber reinforced plastic (FRP), and the like.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the substrate 100 may have a firstarea A1, the second area A2, and a third area A3 disposed along adirection parallel to the X-axis (herein, the X-axis direction). Thatis, an X-Y plane of the substrate 100 may have the first area A1, thesecond area A2, and the third area A3.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first area A1 is a non-pad area andthe non-pad area may have a display area and a non-display area. Thedisplay layer 222 and the polarizer 400 are located at the first area A1of the substrate 100.

The display layer 222 is positioned between the substrate 100 and thepolarizer 400. The display layer 222 includes a plurality of pixels, andeach pixel includes a light emitting element and a pixel circuit portionfor driving the light emitting element.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the polarizer 400, which serves as afunctional member, is located at the first area A1 of the substrate 100.The polarizer 400 is positioned on the substrate 100 in the Z-axisdirection. In an embodiment, the polarizer 400 may include an adhesivelayer 444 b (herein, a second adhesive layer), a polarization layer 444and a protective layer 444 a (herein, a second protective layer) stackedalong the Z-axis direction.

The second adhesive layer 444 b is positioned between the substrate 100and the polarization layer 444 at the first area A1. For example, thesecond adhesive layer 444 b is positioned between the base layer 111 andthe polarization layer 444 at the first area A1.

The polarization layer 444 is positioned between the second adhesivelayer 444 b and the second protective layer 444 a.

The second area A2 and the third area A3 of the substrate 100 are padareas. The groove 11 is located at the upper surface of the firstprotective layer 111 a in the second area A2, and the driver 188 whichdrives a pixel of the display layer 222 and includes a drivingintegrated circuit is located on the base layer 111 in the third areaA3.

Referring to FIG. 2, the display device 1000 may have a first thicknessT1 at the first area A1, may have a second thickness T21+T22 at thesecond area A2, and may have a third thickness T3 at the third area A3.In an embodiment, the first, second, and third thicknesses T1, T21+T22,and T3 have different values from each other. In an embodiment, thedisplay device 1000 has the first thickness T1 including the substrate100 and the polarizer 400 at the first area A1, has the second thicknessT21+T22 including the substrate 100 having the groove 11 at the secondarea A2, and has the third thickness T3 including the substrate 100 atthe third area A3. Accordingly, the first thickness T1 may be largerthan the second and third thicknesses T21+T22 and T3, and the secondthickness T21+T22 may be less than the third thickness T3.

Referring to FIG. 3, the substrate 100 may include a protruding portion112 at the second area A2. The protruding portion 112 protrudes along adirection parallel to the Y-axis (herein, a Y-axis direction) on a planeat the second area A2. In such an exemplary embodiment, the protrudingportion 112 may have a length d1 of about 10 μm or more. Accordingly, aside portion 112 a of the protruding portion 112 may extend parallel tothe Y-axis at a boundary between the first area A1 and the second areaA2. Further, in an embodiment, the side portion 112 a of the protrudingportion 112 may extend to be slightly inclined with respect to theY-axis. For example, when protruding by about 10 μm in the Y-axisdirection, the side portion 112 a of the protruding portion 112 may beinclined by about 2 μm in the X-axis direction. Accordingly, the sideportion 112 a of the protruding portion 112 may have an inclination ofabout 5 degrees or more in the Y-axis direction with respect to theX-axis direction.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a pixel included in the display layerof the display device of FIG. 1; and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the line II-II′ of FIG. 4.

A pixel PX includes a light emitting element 210 and a pixel circuitportion 130, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The pixel circuit portion 130 includes a switching thin film transistor10, a driving thin film transistor 20, and a capacitor 80.

The pixel PX may be located at an area (a pixel area) defined by a gateline 151, a data line 171, and a common power line 172.

The light emitting element 210 may include a pixel electrode 211, alight emitting layer 212, and a common electrode 213. In an embodiment,the light emitting element 210 may be an organic light emitting element.

The pixel circuit portion 130 is located on the base layer 111 of thesubstrate 100. In other words, the switching thin film transistor 10,the driving thin film transistor 20, and the capacitor 80 are located onthe base layer 111. The pixel circuit portion 130 drives the lightemitting layer 212 of the light emitting element 210.

However, although structures of the pixel circuit portion 130 and thelight emitting element 210 are illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, exemplaryembodiments are not limited to the structures illustrated in FIGS. 4 and5. The pixel circuit portion 130 and the light emitting element 210 maybe formed in various structures within a range that may easily bemodified by those skilled in the art.

Although it is shown in FIG. 4 that each pixel PX includes two thin filmtransistors and one capacitor, exemplary embodiments are not limitedthereto. Each pixel PX may include three or more thin film transistorsand two or more capacitors and may further include additional wirings tohave any of various structures.

The pixel PX refers to a minimum unit for displaying images and may beany of a red pixel for emitting red light, a green pixel for emittinggreen light, and a blue pixel for emitting blue light.

In an embodiment, the base layer 111 may be a transparent insulatinglayer including a glass or a transparent plastic. In an embodiment, forexample, the base layer 111 may include any selected from the groupconsisting of: kapton, polyether sulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC),polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylenenaphthalate (PEN), polyacrylate (PAR), fiber reinforced plastic (FRP),and the like.

A buffer layer 120 may be disposed on the base layer 111. The bufferlayer 120 serves to substantially prevent permeation of undesirableelements and to planarize a surface therebelow and may include any ofsuitable materials for planarizing and/or substantially preventingpermeation. In an embodiment, for example, the buffer layer 120 mayinclude any of the following: a silicon nitride (SiN_(x)) layer, asilicon oxide (SiO₂) layer, and a silicon oxynitride (SiO_(x)N_(y))layer. However, the buffer layer 120 is not invariably necessary and maybe omitted depending on the kinds of the base layer 111 and processconditions thereof.

A switching semiconductor layer 131 and a driving semiconductor layer132 are disposed on the buffer layer 120. In an embodiment, theswitching semiconductor layer 131 and the driving semiconductor layer132 may include at least one of the following: a polycrystalline siliconlayer, an amorphous silicon layer, and an oxide semiconductor, such asindium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) and indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO). Forexample, in the case in which the driving semiconductor layer 132illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a polycrystalline silicon layer, thedriving semiconductor layer 132 includes a channel area which is notdoped with impurities and p+ doped source and drain areas which areformed on opposite sides of the channel area. In such an exemplaryembodiment, p-type impurities, such as boron (B), may be used as dopantions, and B₂H₆ is typically used. Such impurities may vary depending onthe kinds of thin film transistors.

The driving thin film transistor 20 according to an exemplary embodimentemploys a p-channel metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) thin filmtransistor including p-type impurities, but exemplary embodiments arenot limited thereto. Alternatively, the driving thin film transistor 20may employ an n-channel metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) thin filmtransistor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) thin filmtransistor.

A gate insulating layer 140 is disposed on the switching semiconductorlayer 131 and the driving semiconductor layer 132. In an embodiment, thegate insulating layer 140 may include at least one of:tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), silicon nitride (SiN_(x)) and siliconoxide (SiO₂). In an embodiment, for example, the gate insulating layer140 may have a double-layer structure in which a SiN_(x) layer having athickness of about 40 nm and a TEOS layer having a thickness of about 80nm are sequentially stacked.

A gate wiring which includes gate electrodes 152 and 155 is disposed onthe gate insulating layer 140. The gate wiring further includes the gateline 151, a first capacitor plate 158, and other lines. In addition, thegate electrodes 152 and 155 are disposed so as to overlap at least apart of or the entirety of the semiconductor layers 131 and 132, forexample, a channel area thereof. The gate electrodes 152 and 155 serveto substantially prevent the channel area from being doped withimpurities when a source area 136 and a drain area 137 of thesemiconductor layers 131 and 132 are doped with impurities during theprocess of forming the semiconductor layers 131 and 132.

In an embodiment, the gate electrodes 152 and 155 and the firstcapacitor plate 158 are disposed on a substantially same layer andinclude a substantially same metal material. In an embodiment, the gateelectrodes 152 and 155 and the first capacitor plate 158 may include atleast one of molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr) and tungsten (W).

An insulating interlayer 160 is disposed on the gate insulating layer140 so as to cover the gate electrodes 152 and 155. The insulatinginterlayer 160, similar to the gate insulating layer 140, may include orbe formed of silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxide (SiOx),tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), or the like, but exemplary embodiments are notlimited thereto.

A data wiring which includes source electrodes 173 and 176 and drainelectrodes 174 and 177 is disposed on the insulating interlayer 160. Thedata wiring further includes the data line 171, the common power line172, a second capacitor plate 178, and other lines. In addition, thesource electrodes 173 and 176 and the drain electrodes 174 and 177 areconnected to the source area 136 and the drain area 137 of thesemiconductor layers 131 and 132, respectively, through a contact holedefined at the gate insulating layer 140 and the insulating interlayer160.

As such, the switching thin film transistor 10 includes the switchingsemiconductor layer 131, the switching gate electrode 152, the switchingsource electrode 173, and the switching drain electrode 174, and thedriving thin film transistor 20 includes the driving semiconductor layer132, the driving gate electrode 155, the driving source electrode 176,and the driving drain electrode 177. However, structures of the thinfilm transistors 10 and 20 are not limited thereto, and thus may bemodified in various structures that are easily conceived by thoseskilled in the pertinent art.

The capacitor 80 includes the first capacitor plate 158 and the secondcapacitor plate 178 with the insulating interlayer 160 interposedtherebetween.

The switching thin film transistor 10 may function as a switchingelement to select pixels to perform light emission. The switching gateelectrode 152 is connected to the gate line 151. The switching sourceelectrode 173 is connected to the data line 171. The switching drainelectrode 174 is spaced apart from the switching source electrode 173and is connected to the first capacitor plate 158.

The driving thin film transistor 20 applies, to the pixel electrode 211,a driving power which allows the light emitting layer 212 of the lightemitting layer 210 in the selected pixel to emit light. The driving gateelectrode 155 is connected to the first capacitor plate 158. Each of thedriving source electrode 176 and the second capacitor plate 178 isconnected to the common power line 172. The driving drain electrode 177is connected to the pixel electrode 211 of the light emitting layer 210through a contact hole.

With the aforementioned structure, the switching thin film transistor 10is driven by a gate voltage applied to the gate line 151 and serves totransmit a data voltage applied to the data line 171 to the driving thinfilm transistor 20. A voltage equivalent to a difference between acommon voltage applied to the driving thin film transistor 20 from thecommon power line 172 and the data voltage transmitted from theswitching thin film transistor 10 is stored in the capacitor 80 and acurrent corresponding to the voltage stored in the capacitor 80 flows tothe light emitting layer 210 through the driving thin film transistor20, such that the light emitting layer 210 may emit light.

A planarization layer 165 covers the data wiring, e.g., the data line171, the common power line 172, the source electrodes 173 and 176, thedrain electrodes 174 and 177 and the second capacitor plate 178, whichare patterned using a single mask. The planarization layer 165 ispositioned on the insulating interlayer 160.

The planarization layer 165 provides a planar surface so as to increaseluminous efficiency of a light emitting element to be disposed thereon.In an embodiment, the planarization layer 165 may include at least oneof the following materials: a polyacrylate resin, an epoxy resin, aphenolic resin, a polyamide resin, a polyimide resin, an unsaturatedpolyester resin, a polyphenylene ether resin, a polyphenylene sulfideresin, and benzocyclobutene (BCB).

The pixel electrode 211 of the light emitting layer 210 is disposed onthe planarization layer 165. The pixel electrode 211 is connected to thedrain electrode 177 through a contact hole defined at the planarizationlayer 165.

A part of or the entirety of the pixel electrode 211 is disposed in atransmissive area (or a light emitting area) of the pixel PX. That is,the pixel electrode 211 is disposed corresponding to the transmissivearea of the pixel defined by a pixel defining layer 190. In anembodiment, the pixel defining layer 190 may include a resin such as apolyacrylate resin and a polyimide resin.

The light emitting layer 212 is disposed on the pixel electrode 211 inthe transmissive area, and the common electrode 213 is disposed on thepixel defining layer 190 and the light emitting layer 212.

The light emitting layer 212 includes a low molecular organic materialor a high molecular organic material. At least one of a hole injectionlayer HIL and a hole transport layer HTL may further be disposed betweenthe pixel electrode 211 and the light emitting layer 212, and at leastone of an electron transport layer ETL and an electron injection layerEIL may further be disposed between the light emitting layer 212 and thecommon electrode 213.

The pixel electrode 211 and the common electrode 213 may be formed asone of a transmissive electrode, a transflective electrode, and areflective electrode.

In an embodiment, transparent conductive oxide (“TCO”) may be used toform a transmissive electrode. In an embodiment, such TCO may include atleast one selected from the group consisting of: indium tin oxide (ITO),indium zinc oxide (IZO), antimony tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide(AZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and mixtures thereof.

A metal, e.g., magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), gold (Au), calcium (Ca),lithium (Li), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or an alloythereof may be used to form a transflective electrode and a reflectiveelectrode. In such an exemplary embodiment, whether an electrode is atransflective type or a reflective type depends on the thickness of theelectrode. Typically, the transflective electrode has a thickness ofabout 200 nm or less, and the reflective electrode has a thickness ofabout 300 nm or more. As the thickness of the transflective electrodedecreases, light transmittance and resistance increase. On the contrary,as the thickness of the transflective electrode increases, lighttransmittance decreases.

In an embodiment, the transflective electrode and the reflectiveelectrode may have a multilayer structure which includes a metal layerincluding a metal or a metal alloy and a TCO layer stacked on the metallayer.

In an embodiment, the pixel PX may have a double-sided emission typestructure capable of emitting light in the direction of the pixelelectrode 211 and the common electrode 213. In such an exemplaryembodiment, both the pixel electrode 211 and the common electrode 213may be formed as a transmissive electrode or a semi-transmissiveelectrode.

A sealing member 250 is disposed on the common electrode 213. In anembodiment, the sealing member 250 may include a transparent insulatingsubstrate including a glass or a transparent plastic. In addition, thesealing member 250 may have a thin film encapsulation structureincluding one or more inorganic layers and one or more organic layers.In such an exemplary embodiment, the one or more inorganic layers andthe one or more organic layers may be stacked alternately.

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a state in which the display device ofFIG. 1 is bent.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the display device 1000 is bendable. That is,the display device 1000 may have a bent shape with respect to the groove11 in the first protective layer 111 a.

FIGS. 7 to 18 are views for explaining a method of manufacturing adisplay device, according to an exemplary embodiment.

First, a mother panel 700 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is prepared. FIG.8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III′ of FIG. 7.

Although a plurality of first areas A11, a plurality of second areasA22, and a plurality of third areas A33 are depicted on the mother panel700 of FIG. 7 for the purpose of description, the first area A11, thesecond area A22, and the third area A33 may not be presented on themother panel 700 in practice.

The first area A11, the second area A22, and the third area A33 of themother panel 700 that are adjacent to each other correspond to the firstarea A1, the second area A2, and the third area A3 of the display device1000 of FIG. 1. The first area A11 of the mother panel 700 may be largerthan the first area A1 of the aforementioned display device 1000, thesecond area A22 of the mother panel 700 may be larger than the secondarea A2 of the aforementioned display device 1000, and the third areaA33 of the mother panel 700 may be larger than the third area A3 of theaforementioned display device 1000.

The mother panel 700 includes a carrier layer 600, a substrate 100, anda display layer 222, as illustrated in FIG. 8.

The carrier layer 600 includes an adhesive layer 666 a (herein, a thirdadhesive layer) and a protective layer 666 (herein, a third protectivelayer) located below the substrate 100. The third adhesive layer 666 ais positioned between the third protective layer 666 and the firstprotective layer 111 a.

Thereafter, a mother polarizer 800 illustrated in FIG. 9 is prepared.The mother polarizer 800 has a plurality of holes 88. In an embodiment,the holes 88 may each have a quadrangular shape. In such an exemplaryembodiment, in order to substantially prevent overlapping of the secondarea A2 and the third area A3 with the polarizer 400 which may be causedby an alignment error between the mother polarizer 800 and the motherpanel 700, the hole 88 of the mother polarizer 800 may have a sizelarger than a size of the second area A22 of the mother panel 700.

Then, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the mother polarizer 800 isattached to the mother panel 700. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional viewtaken along the line IV-IV′ of FIG. 10. In an embodiment, the motherpolarizer 800 includes the second adhesive layer 444 b, the polarizationlayer 444 and the second protective layer 444 a. In such an exemplaryembodiment, the mother polarizer 800 is attached to the mother panel 700through the second adhesive layer 444 b. Herein, a structure in whichthe mother panel 700 and the mother polarizer 800 are joined with (e.g.,attached to) each other is defined as a mother joined panel 900.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12, a dividing process for dividing themother joined panel 900 into a plurality of unit panels is performed. Tothis end, the mother joined panel 900 is severed by a laser beam 384irradiated from a laser apparatus 382. In an embodiment, an ultraviolet(UV) pico-second laser apparatus may be used as the laser apparatus 382.

The laser beam 384 is irradiated in the Z-axis direction from below themother joined panel 900 to the mother joined panel 900, as illustratedin FIG. 12. Accordingly, the laser beam 384 irradiated to the motherjoined panel 900 passes through the mother panel 700 first, and thenpasses through the mother polarizer 800.

As illustrated in FIG. 12, the laser beam 384 irradiated to the motherjoined panel 900 moves along a cutting line CL which has a closed loopshape surrounding the first area A11, the second area A22, and the thirdarea A33 that are adjacent to each other, whereby a portion surroundedby the cutting line CL is separated from the mother joined panel 900.Herein, the portion separated from the mother joined panel 900 isdefined as a unit panel.

By such a dividing process, a plurality of unit panels 950 (see FIG. 13)are obtained from one mother joined panel 900. FIG. 13 is across-sectional view taken along the line V-V′ of FIG. 12.

Referring to FIG. 13, the mother joined panel 900 may have a fourththickness T4 at the first area A11, a fifth thickness T51+T52 at thesecond area A22, and a sixth thickness T6 at the third area A33. In anembodiment, the fourth, fifth, and sixth thicknesses T4, T51+T52, and T6have different values. Specifically, the mother joined panel 900 has thefourth thickness T4 including the substrate 100, the polarizer 400, andthe carrier layer 600 at the first area A11, has the fifth thicknessT51+T52 including the substrate 100 having the groove 11 and the carrierlayer 600 at the second area A22, and has the sixth thickness T6including the substrate 100 and the carrier layer 600 at the third areaA33. Accordingly, the fourth thickness T4 may be larger than the fifthand sixth thicknesses T51+T52 and T6, and the fifth thickness T51+T52may be less than the sixth thickness T6. Accordingly, an intensity ofthe laser beam for dividing the mother joined panel 900 may be differentat the first area A11, the second area A22, and the third area A33,which will be described in further detail below with reference to FIGS.14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.

FIGS. 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 are enlarged views of a region “A” of FIG.12, and a dividing step of the mother joined panel 900 illustrated inFIGS. 12 and 13 will be described below in further detail with referenceto FIGS. 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18.

A first laser beam 384 a may be irradiated in an X+ direction along afirst cutting line CL1 located at the first area A11 of the motherjoined panel 900, as illustrated in FIG. 14. For example, the firstlaser beam 384 a may be irradiated in the X+ direction along the firstcutting line CL1 which extends in the first area A11 to a boundarybetween the first area A11 and the second area A22. In such an exemplaryembodiment, the first laser beam 384 a may be irradiated to the motherjoined panel 900 with an output optimized for cutting the mother joinedpanel 900 having the fourth thickness T4. In an embodiment, for example,the first laser beam 384 a may be irradiated to the mother joined panel900 at an output in a range from about 7 W to about 13 W. Accordingly,the mother joined panel 900 is cut along the first cutting line CL1 ofthe first area A11.

Next, a second laser beam 384 b may be irradiated in an X− directionalong a second cutting line CL2 located at the first area A11 of themother joined panel 900, as illustrated in FIG. 15. For example, thesecond laser beam 384 b may be irradiated in the X− direction along thesecond cutting line CL2 which extends from the boundary between thefirst area A11 and the second area A22 to the first area A11. The secondcutting line CL2 may overlap with the first cutting line CL1 and a thirdcutting line CL3. In such an exemplary embodiment, the second laser beam384 b is a laser beam which is irradiated while an output optimized forcutting the mother joined panel 900 having the fourth thickness T4 ischanged to an output optimized for cutting the mother joined panel 900having the fifth thickness T51+T52, and the second laser beam 384 b maybe irradiated to the mother joined panel 900 with an output which isless than the output optimized for cutting the mother joined panel 900having the fourth thickness T4 and greater than the output optimized forcutting the mother joined panel 900 having the fifth thickness T51+T52.That is, the second laser beam 384 b may have an intensity less thanthat of the first laser beam 384 a and greater than that of a thirdlaser beam 384 c. In an embodiment, for example, the second laser beam384 b may be irradiated at an output in a range from about 2 W to about13 W. Accordingly, the second laser beam 384 b which has an intensityless than that of the first laser beam 384 a is irradiated to the motherjoined panel 900 which is cut by the first laser beam 384 a, such thatcarbonization of the mother joined panel 900 is substantially minimizedto prevent or substantially prevent damage to the display device.

Next, the third laser beam 384 c may be irradiated in the X+ directionalong the third cutting line CL3 located at the first area A11, thesecond area A22, and the third area A33 of the mother joined panel 900,as illustrated in FIG. 16. For example, the third laser beam 384 c maybe irradiated in the X+ direction along the third cutting line CL3 whichextends from the first area A11 to the second area A22 and the thirdarea A33. At least a part of the third cutting line CL3 may overlap withthe first cutting line CL1 and the second cutting line CL2 at the firstarea A11, and another part of the third cutting line CL3 may overlapwith a fourth cutting line CL4 and a fifth cutting line CL5 at the thirdarea A33. In such an exemplary embodiment, the third laser beam 384 cmay be irradiated to the mother joined panel 900 with an outputoptimized for cutting the mother joined panel 900 having the fifththickness T51+T52. In an embodiment, for example, the third laser beam384 c may be irradiated to the mother joined panel 900 at an output in arange from about 2 W to about 4 W. In such an exemplary embodiment, thefirst area A11 of the mother joined panel 900 having the fourththickness T4 has been already cut, thus substantially minimizing damageof the display device, the second area A22 of the mother joined panel900 having the fifth thickness T51+T52 is cut along the third cuttingline CL3, and the third area A33 of the mother joined panel 900 havingthe sixth thickness T6 which is larger than the fifth thickness T51+T52is not cut.

Next, a fourth laser beam 384 d may be irradiated in the X− directionalong the fourth cutting line CL4 located at the third area A33 of themother joined panel 900, as illustrated in FIG. 17. For example, thefourth laser beam 384 d may be irradiated in the X− direction along thefourth cutting line CL4 which extends from the third area A33 to aboundary between the second area A22 and the third area A33. The fourthcutting line CL4 may overlap with the third cutting line CL3 and thefifth cutting line CL5 at the third area A33. In such an exemplaryembodiment, the fourth laser beam 384 d is a laser beam which isirradiated while an output optimized for cutting the mother joined panel900 having the fifth thickness T51+T52 is changed to an output optimizedfor cutting the mother joined panel 900 having the sixth thickness T6,and the fourth laser beam 384 d may be irradiated to the mother joinedpanel 900 with an output which is greater than the output optimized forcutting the mother joined panel 900 having the fifth thickness T51+T52and less than an output optimized for cutting the mother joined panel900 having the sixth thickness T6. That is, the fourth laser beam 384 dmay have an intensity greater than that of the third laser beam 384 cand less than that of a fifth laser beam 384 e. In an embodiment, forexample, the fourth laser beam 384 d may be irradiated at an output in arange from about 2 W to about 10 W. Accordingly, the fourth laser beam384 d having an intensity less than that of the fifth laser beam 384 eis irradiated to the mother joined panel 900 at the third area A33 whichhas the sixth thickness T6 larger than the fifth thickness T51+T52, suchthat carbonization of the mother joined panel 900 is substantiallyminimized to prevent or substantially prevent damage to the displaydevice.

Lastly, the fifth laser beam 384 e may be irradiated in the X+ directionalong the fifth cutting line CL5 located at the third area A33 of themother joined panel 900, as illustrated in FIG. 18. For example, thefifth laser beam 384 e may be irradiated in the X+ direction along thefifth cutting line CL5 which extends from the boundary between thesecond area A22 and the third area A33 to the third area A33. At least apart of the fifth cutting line CL5 may overlap with the third cuttingline CL3 and the fourth cutting line CL4 at the third area A33. In suchan exemplary embodiment, the fifth laser beam 384 e may be irradiated tothe mother joined panel 900 with an output optimized for cutting themother joined panel 900 having the sixth thickness T6. In an embodiment,for example, the fifth laser beam 384 e may be irradiated to the motherjoined panel 900 at an output in a range from about 4 W to about 10 W.Accordingly, the third area A33 of the mother joined panel 900 is cutalong the fifth cutting line CL5.

According to an exemplary embodiment, carbonization of display devicescaused by a laser beam which is irradiated during the time when theoutput of the laser beam is changed may be substantially minimizedthrough the cutting process of the mother joining panel 900 describedabove.

Then, although not illustrated, the carrier layer 600 is separated fromthe unit panel 950. Specifically, the third protective layer 666 and thethird adhesive layer 666 a are removed from the unit panel 950.

Next, although not illustrated, the driver 188 is mounted at the thirdarea A33 of the unit panel 950.

Through such a process, the unit panel 950 may have the structure of thedisplay device 1000 illustrated in FIG. 1.

In an embodiment, although not illustrated, a unit polarizer may be usedinstead of the above-described mother polarizer 800. In such anexemplary embodiment, the cutting process is performed for the motherpanel 700 without the mother polarizer 800 in FIG. 12. In other words,the dividing process for the mother panel 700 illustrated in FIG. 10 isperformed. This dividing step is substantially the same as the lasercutting process of FIG. 12 described above. In such an exemplaryembodiment, however, since the mother polarizer 800 is not attached tothe mother panel 700, the mother panel 700 at the first area A11 has athickness substantially equal to a thickness of the mother panel 700 atthe second area A22. In an exemplary embodiment, a touch screen panel(not illustrated) may be used as the functional member in place of thepolarizer 400 described above. In another embodiment, both the polarizer400 and the touch screen panel may be used as the functional member. Insuch an exemplary embodiment, the touch screen panel may be located onthe polarizer 400.

FIG. 19 is a view illustrating the effects of the display deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment, with an upper portion cut througha conventional cutting process and a lower portion cut through thecutting process according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

In the upper portion, which is formed by the conventional cuttingprocess, an inclination of a horizontal direction with respect to avertical direction is not relatively large, and a protruding portion isformed in a curved shape. A display panel having such a curved shape isformed when an output of a laser beam changes gradually at boundaries ofareas having different thicknesses, and the display panel may becarbonized to damage the display device.

On the other hand, in the lower portion which is formed by the cuttingprocess according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,an inclination of a horizontal direction with respect to a verticaldirection is relatively large, and a protruding portion is formed in astep shape. A display panel having such a step shape is formed when alaser beam that is optimized for each thickness is applied at boundariesof areas having different thicknesses, and thus carbonization in thedisplay panel may be substantially prevented.

The manufacturing method according to an exemplary embodiment may bealso applied to LCD devices or electrophoretic display devices. That is,LCD devices or electrophoretic display devices which include a polarizeror a touch screen panel in a selective manner at a non-pad area (i.e.the first area) as described above may be processed by laser beamshaving different intensities.

As set forth herein, a display device and a method of manufacturing thedisplay device may provide the following effects.

According to one or more exemplary embodiments, in a laser process forthe display device or a cutting process for a mother panel, a laser beamhaving an intensity optimized for each thickness is irradiated to areasof the display device and the mother panel that have differentthicknesses. Accordingly, a substrate may be easily cut in a non-padarea, and carbonization and damage of the substrate may be substantiallyminimized in a pad area.

While the present invention has been illustrated and described withreference to some exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form anddetail may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of manufacturing a display device, themethod comprising: preparing a mother substrate including a first areaand a second area which are sequentially located along a firstdirection; forming a display layer at the first area of the mothersubstrate; forming a functional member at the first area so as tooverlap with the display layer; irradiating a first laser beam in thefirst direction along a first cutting line of the first area;irradiating a second laser beam in a second direction which is from thesecond area toward the first area along a second cutting line of thefirst area; and irradiating a third laser beam in the first direction atthe first area and the second area along a third cutting line of thefirst area and the second area, wherein the first laser beam has anintensity greater than an intensity of the second laser beam and anintensity of the third laser beam, wherein the intensity of the secondlaser beam is greater than the intensity of the third laser beam, andwherein the second cutting line overlaps with at least a part of thefirst cutting line and at least a part of the third cutting line at thefirst area.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device has afirst thickness at the first area and a second thickness which is largerthan the first thickness at the second area.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the first cutting line overlaps with at least a part of thethird cutting line at the first area.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe mother substrate further includes a third area, wherein the methodfurther comprises, after irradiating the third laser beam in the firstdirection at the first area, the second area, and the third area alongthe third cutting line of the first area, the second area, and the thirdarea: irradiating a fourth laser beam in the second direction at thethird area along a fourth cutting line of the third area; andirradiating a fifth laser beam in the first direction at the third areaalong a fifth cutting line of the third area, wherein the fourth laserbeam has an intensity greater than an intensity of the third laser beamand less than an intensity of the fifth laser beam, wherein the fifthlaser beam has an intensity greater than the intensities of the secondlaser beam and the fourth laser beam, and wherein the fourth cuttingline overlaps with at least a part of the third cutting line and atleast a part of the fifth cutting line.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein the display device has a first thickness at the first area, asecond thickness which is larger than the first thickness at the secondarea, and a third thickness which is less than the first thickness andlarger than the second thickness at the third area.
 6. The method ofclaim 4, wherein at least a part of the first cutting line overlaps withat least a part of the second cutting line and at least a part of thethird cutting line at the first area.
 7. The method of claim 4, whereinat least a part of the third cutting line overlaps with the firstcutting line at the first area, and another part of the third cuttingline overlaps with the fifth cutting line at the third area.
 8. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the mother substrate has a groove at thesecond area.